Larry Reynolds has been named the new men's basketball coach at Cal State Stanislaus, taking over a program that looks to become a national contender.

After a national search, Cal State Stanislaus announced it has hired former Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Larry Reynolds as someone who will guide the Warriors to national prominence.But Reynolds comes with controversy.Reynolds spent five years as the 49ers coach, going 24-8 with Big West Conference regular-season and tournament championships before falling to Tennessee in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA tournament. But his contract was never renewed following an NCAA investigation that resulted in placing the men’s basketball program on three years of probation for violations committed under Reynolds’ supervision.CSUS athletic director Milton Richards said he and the hiring committee did the research and made the conclusion that Reynolds was the best coach to lead the Warriors to a national title after Keith Larsen was fired in April.“We’re very excited about Larry Reynolds coming to our program,” Richards said. “He’s a proven commodity who has been very successful.”Reynolds’ legacy at Long Beach State was tainted due to the NCAA investigation.Penalties against the 49ers, according to an Associated Press report, also included forfeiting their 18 victories from the 2005-06 season and reduced recruiting and fewer scholarships, as the case involved improper benefits, improper transportation and phone contacts, unethical conduct by members of the coaching staff and a failure to appropriately monitor the program by the school or the former head coach.“All I want to stay is that he’s a coach of high integrity,” Milton said. “We did a lot of research. We believe he’s a quality guy. We’re not concerned about those issues. He took responsibility (for them) ... everybody speaks about his high character.”Reynolds is well-experienced. He compiled an impressive record as a head coach for 10 seasons after a number of years as an assistant coach at UC Riverside and the University of San Francisco. At Long Beach State, he took the 49ers to consecutive postseason appearances from 2004-05 to 2006-07.He spent five seasons at Cal State Bernardino, where he had a 110-35 record and four consecutive postseason trips over five years.“I am excited about the opportunity to continue to help build a successful basketball program at Cal State Stanislaus that will represent the university, community and alumni at the highest levels both on and off the court,” Reynolds said in a press release. “I’d like to thank President (Hamid) Shirvani and Dr. Richards for giving me this opportunity and look forward to becoming a part of the Warriors’ family.”To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.